Thirty-seven social and environmental organisations, together with the New South Wales Council for Civil Liberties (NSWCCL), are calling on NSW Labor to repeal the undemocratic protest laws.
A review of the laws by the Department of Roads and the Attorney-General聽is scheduled after April 1, two years on from their rushed introduction by the then-Coalition gobernment, with 尝补产辞谤听蝉耻辫辫辞谤迟.
Premier Chris Minns has been asked to conduct a public inquiry聽into the laws to 鈥渁ddress the vital issue of protecting the right to protest鈥.
The NSWCCL said protest is a 鈥渇undamental democratic right鈥 that allows us to 鈥渆xpress our views, shape our societies and press for social change鈥.
It said the draconian laws have created a 鈥渃hilling effect on civil movements and social progress鈥.
Amendments to section 144G the Roads Act 1993 criminalises anyone causing 鈥渟erious disruption鈥 to prescribed bridges and tunnels as well as all 鈥渕ain roads鈥.
The maximum penalty is $22,000, or two years in jail, or both.
, published on April 2, calls on Labor to commit to making the review publicly accessible. It said the 鈥渞ight to protest cannot and should not be scheduled merely for a 鈥榙epartmental鈥 review鈥.
So far, Labor has refused.
Lydia Shelly, NSWCCL president, said: 鈥淓veryone should have the right to gather and convey political messages in non-violent protest. This right is essential to our democratic system of government.鈥
Anastasia Radievska, Australian Democracy Network spokesperson, said that the laws which were rushed through in less than 48 hours, are being 鈥渦sed to justify increasingly escalatory policing of peaceful protests鈥.
They justified the heavy-handed policing and arrests of a peaceful pro-Palestine protest for Palestine in Port Botany.
The Human Rights Law Centre expressed concern that 鈥減olice issued move-on orders and arrested individuals for alleged failure to comply with these orders when no serious risk to safety was present and no traffic was observed to be obstructed by the protestors鈥.聽
Paul Keating, Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) Sydney Branch Secretary said his members are among the 42 arrestees now facing 鈥渢he possibility of enormous fines, criminal records and prison sentences鈥 for exercising their democratic rights.
Groups supporting the of the anti-protest law include: Young Labor Left, Wage Peace, Australian Services Union NSW (ACT Services Branch); the Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union NSW Branch, Socialist Alliance, Redfern Legal Centre, Tzedek Collective, Pride in Protest, the Jewish Council of Australia the United Workers Union, the Nature Conservation Council of NSW and all NSW Greens MPs.